Ironman Wisconsin 2013 Information

Race Number: #1767

Tracking Information:
On race day there will be a number of ways to track my race progress the best will be MyAthleteLive. I have a tracker I wear on my race belt from the time I get out of the water to the finish line. It live updates my progress every few seconds so you can see where I am at any given point on the race course. You can go to the website or download the Android or IPhone apps to track my progress.

Ironman.com: On raceday this is the place to get the live streaming video of the event for most of the day. Not sure what the race coverage will be like but for the most part when people start to finish they will have a station webcam pointed on the finish line and if you use the information from the My Athlete Live tracker you should be able to see me finish.

Overview:
With Ironman less then a week away I thought it was time to create my Ironman information site again for those who are interested in tracking my progress either at the race site or online all day. Last year at this race I had a PR because of a spectacular run or 4:40, this year it's hard to tell how it will go. I think key was that I took it pretty easy on the bike and, while I didn't get my goal time of 6:30, I think it translated into a way better run. I was hoping my half Ironman a couple weeks ago would give me some better indications of how I would do but it really left me with more questions then answers. I got a PR on the bike and felt good pressing it hard all day on the bike but fell apart on the run and fought some bad blisters. I guess it's going to come down to the run again and we will see how it goes.

Swim:
The swim is by far my worst event of the three and where I could stand to make the most progress to improve my overall Ironman time. This year, much like last year, I really haven't done a whole lot of swimming. I did utilize my time in Beaver Island to do a bunch of open water swims and get my mileage up but I'm still not expecting this to really improve from any of my past years. Really I just have to be smart swim my speed stay out of trouble and try to make sure I have something left for the bike and run.

Bike:
This year I would like to press it a bit harder on the bike and really try to get my 6:30 that I talked about last year. My half Ironman showed me that I have the capability to bike even a 6:00 if I stay disciplined and stay on my bike after the halfway point, which is way easier said then done. For the most part getting through the first 56 miles isn't too bad, no back pain, no neck pain, no crotch pain and no cramps to fight. It's the last 56 miles that are the tough, when you get mile 70-80 that is when staying on the bike and in the aerobars becomes tough. By then you've been on the bike upwards of 4:00 hours and stuff is starting to hurt. This year at special needs I'm going to pop a few ibuprofen to see if that staves off some of the pain.

Run:
This is where the big question mark is for me this year. I've ran a lot and feel like I could have a good run but it's hard to know how you will feel at this point. Generally the first 13 miles go pretty well, for the most part I've been able to run it in sub 2:30 and work through any problems for the first half. It's that second half that really defines how your race will go. By this point you will be at a 10-11 hour race time, your getting tired, cramps are being an issue, blisters are an issue, leg pain is an issue and just general tiredness is an issue. If you can fight through all of that and keep running a majority of the time you will have a good race. If you can't and end up walking you go from a 2:30 half marathon to a 3:30 to 4:00 half marathon really quickly. I guess we will see race day how it all goes.

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About Me

Levi is a software engineer currently working at Rockwell Collins in Cedar Rapids. Levi lives in Clarence, Iowa where he has lived since 2004 and he is serving his third four year term a city councilman.

When Levi isn't working he spends time raising his two awesome boys, Marshall and Clancey. Levi is also in training for his 9th Ironman Triathlons which will be held in Madison, Wisconsin on September 13th of 2015. .